Woman prisoner attempts suicide in Tihar jail

New Delhi: A woman prisoner, who allegedly ran a sex racket and was booked under stringent MCOCA, attempted suicide in Tihar jail apparently to avoid punishment after a mobile phone was recovered from her possession.

Sonu Punjaban, involved in a number of cases including murder, attempted suicide last evening after she was shifted to a new cell from her old one. However, fellow prisoners informed the jail authorities immediately who thwarted her suicide attempt.

Tihar Jail officials said Punjaban was shifted to a new cell after she was found in possession of a mobile phone, which is a "serious offence."

Whenever a prisoner is found with a mobile phone, the officials said, it is a normal procedure to change his or her cell.

"It seems she did not like her new cell and to avoid more punishment she attempted suicide by tying her dupatta to a exhaust fan in her cell," a senior official said.

He said she was immediately removed from the cell and referred to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where she was kept under observation for 24 hours.
The official said Punjaban was taken back to the jail this evening.

She is booked under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).